Gearing up for Goodwood

Land Rover is the latest manufacturer to announce its presence at the fast-approaching Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place on 7-9 July. The 4x4 maker will be showing off its vehicles’ abilities on a special off-road course, helping to make this year’s event bigger and better than ever.

The list of cars and drivers at Goodwood reads ever more like a motoring encyclopaedia, so here’s Autocar’s (slightly) digested guide.

The open-wheelers BMW’s 2006 F1 car, driven by WTCC Champion Andy Priaulx. Jenson Button will drive a Honda on Sunday, with Anthony Davidson driving on Saturday.McLaren will have a 2006 car driven by DTM Champion Gary Paffett.Christian Klien will drive a Red Bull on Sunday.Renault has its championship-leading R26, to be driven by test driver Heikki Kovalainen on Friday and Saturday and Giancarlo Fisichella on Sunday. An ex-Ayrton Senna Lotus-Renault 97T will be driven by his nephew Bruno, while René Arnoux will be driving the RE30C turbo. Williams is fielding Mark Webber on Saturday and Nico Rosberg on Sunday. Sir Jack Brabham will drive a Cooper-Climax T5 all weekend.Martin Brundle will be reunited with his Benetton-Ford B191 on Sunday.Ferrari test driver Marc Gene will be taking to the hill in a Ferrari F2004 and a F2005.Mika Hakkinen is due to drive both a 1981 McLaren MP4 and the contemporary car.Jacques Laffite is expected to drive a Ligier-Matra JS9 Formula One car.Alan Jones, former Grand Prix World Champion, will drive a Williams FW06 from his early career and a Maserati 250F like that raced by his father Stan.Damon Hill is expected to take to the hill in an F1 car on Sunday.

Rally starsNo date clash with a WRC event means that several notable drivers will be scrabbling around the forest stage and up the hillclimb – once each morning and afternoon. Confirmed drivers include Colin McRae, Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg and Matthew Wilson, while World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb is also on the cards.

The circuit racersReigning BTCC Champion Matt Neal will be driving the Team Dynamics Honda Integra R. The Aston Martin DBR9, fresh from Le Mans, will also be carving up the hill with works driver Darren Turner at the wheel.NASCAR legend Richard Petty will be reunited with his 1972 Dodge Charger.Dan Gurney will be driving a Ford GT40 (he won Le Mans in one) as well as an Eagle-Weslake F1 car. Gene Felton, hero of NASCAR and TransAm racing, will drive a 1988 Chevrolet NASCAR.Allan McNish, Le Mans winner and former GP star, will drive the latest Audi R10 diesel Le Mans car and hopefully a historic Auto Union Grand Prix car.Tom Kristensen, seven times Le Mans winner, will drive the 2003 Le Mans-winning Bentley Speed 8 on the hill, and the Bentley Continental GTC in the Supercar Run.

The supercarsBugatti is bringing a Veyron, to be driven by the Earl of March. Ferrari has chosen Goodwood for the UK unveiling of its 599 GTB, and is bringing a 612 Scaglietti, not to mention the FXX.Porsche will have the new 911 Turbo and a Cayenne Turbo S. Peugeot will show its V12-powered 907 concept. The Caparo T1 will also be there, as will Prodrive’s P2. Lamborghini is bringing the Murciélago LP640 and Maserati the GranSport MC Victory.

Stars and their not so reasonably priced carsMonte Carlo rally winner Rauno Aaltonen will drive a Mini Cooper S and Austin Healey 3000. Derek Bell will be piloting his Tecno F1 car, a 246 Dino and Jaguar E-Type lightweight. Jacky Ickx will drive on the hill all weekend, including in a Ferrari 312PB, and on the Forest Rally Stage in a Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar car.Nigel Mansell will drive a JPS-liveried Lotus 91 from his early career and his 1993 Championship-winning Newman-Haas Indycar.Sir Stirling Moss will drive his 1958 Argentine GP-winning Cooper Climax T43, as well as the Mercedes-Benz W196 in which he dominated the 1955 season.Sir Jackie Stewart will drive his title-winning Matra and Tyrrell F1 cars, as well as the BRM P261 in which he won his first Grand Prix.John Surtees, the only man to be World Champion on two wheels and four, will drive all weekend in the Honda RA300 in which he won the 1967 Italian Grand Prix.

Not driving but talking…F1 driver David Coulthard, legendary Indycar team manager Carl Haas, Red Bull Racing F1 team’s Christian Horner and Ford rally ace Malcolm Wilson will all be at Goodwood over the weekend.

And there will be plenty more besides. Remember, entrance is by pre-purchased ticket only. Book your tickets here. We’ll see you there.